At last! A wedding post! I’m trying so hard to focus on work and not wedding plan during work hours. My work load is quite heavy for the next couple of weeks, and I want to work well now, so that when my workload lightens a bit, I can take the extra time to focus on the wedding. (Oh my gosh… it’s coming up so soon!!!) But with this post I have the chance to blend the two— wedding planning and work!

On Tuesday I put out a call for questions on my Facebook page to prep for this post, and got mostly wedding-planning-related questions back. SO. That’s what we’re talking about today! Who doesn’t like a good “wedding planning details!” post, anyway, right?

Question 1: I want to know about your wedding plans! Date, reception venue, color scheme, size of wedding party, etc.

Great question! All things I’m excited to talk about! Our wedding colors are grey, green, and neutral, with a few pear tones thrown in for interest. Our wedding party (both groomsmen and bridesmaids) are each choosing their own outfit— girls in shades of grey knee-length dresses, and guys in grey suits. With just three months to plan the wedding, we decided it was simplest to leave the clothing matter in their hands, not ours. 🙂 The green will come out in the flowers and the guys’ accessories (green bowties were Buck’s one big request), and the pear tones will mostly show up at the reception. I’m a huge fan of rosemary and olive branches, so those will make their appearance as well. My sweet mother has decided to grow 25 rosemary bushes— I don’t think we’ll have any problem using it.

All in all, it’s become a rather formal, elegant affair, which has been both fun and challenging to work with (DIY, vintage, rustic, and the like are all great on a budget. elegant? requires a bit more creativity) Our wedding date is August 10, 2013. Yes, you read the date right. Just 7 1/2 weeks away!! That presents another challenge— pulling things together so quickly! Thankfully, we’re surrounded by a very large group of sweet friends from our Church who are literally chomping at the bit to help in any way they can, and our families are jumping in, as well. It’s been really humbling to watch them bend over backwards for us, but really sweet to receive so much at the same time.

The ceremony will be held at our Church in DC, Capitol Hill Baptist Church at 10 o’clock in the morning. We’re having a brunch reception at the Church, directly following the ceremony, and then a smaller, private luncheon reception for our closest friends and family at McLean Gardens Ballroom, up near the National Cathedral (the website absolutely does not do it justice!!). We have a rather large wedding party— six groomsmen, seven bridesmaids, and one junior bridesmaid.

When deciding on a date, we took several things into consideration: 1) Church availability. Our Church is the single greatest means of spiritual growth for both Buck and myself (and it’s how we met!), so it was very important to us that we get married there. 2) Pastor availability. We’ve become close friends with one of our pastors, and our preference was to have him do our premarital counseling and officiate our wedding. 3) My work schedule. I’m a wedding photographer, so my Saturdays are often workdays. Obviously that was a factor! 4) Family schedules. There were several events that affected our families (both immediate and extended) and the possibility of them attending our wedding, so that was a consideration as well. When we looked at all of those factors, and the desire to marry sooner rather than later (I mean really— why wait??), August 10 was the best possible date. Everything else fell into place after that!

Feel free to check out my Pinterest for more photos!

What’s the hardest part of wedding planning so far, and what is the most fun?

The hardest part is trying to still be responsible with my work hours, and not spend all of my days planning the wedding. Three months is not very much time, and it’s really easy to feel that the weight and pressure of my planning deadlines are more urgent than my work deadlines. But I have a responsibility to my clients— and more importantly, to God— to work well and remain faithful in my job.

Comparison has been a challenge, too. I’m in the wedding industry, and everyone that I talk to says things like, “Oh, I’m sure your wedding will be gorgeous,” as if it will be more gorgeous than typical weddings, or more specialized, or something like that. Well… I think we’re going to have a wonderful wedding. I think it will be a beautiful day, that it will be simple and elegant, and that God will be honored. I don’t think it will be something that people talk about for years to come, or will be some fantastic display of  creativity or DIY work. Frankly, we don’t have time, energy, resources, or a desire for it to be noteworthy. We desire to be married, and for the Gospel to be proclaimed. And that’s really all that matters. The challenge for me is keeping that in perspective, and knowing how to respond to kind, well-meaning people who make comments that imply it will be something else.

The most fun is that Buck and I are doing it together. I just love him so much— every moment with him is pleasant, even if we’re doing unpleasant things like budgeting or working on the guest list (I’ve cried over that thing, y’all). And planning future!! Registering was so much fun!!!!! I can’t wait to be his wife!

How do you get your wedding planned in such a short amount of time?

Well… when we only have three months, we just don’t have time to deliberate on things. “Hey, I think I like grey and green.” “Me too.” “Okay, let’s go with that.” “Okay.” We just don’t have time to spend looking for THE PERFECT venue, caterer, bakery, florist, or anything, really. And that’s good for us— we don’t need things to be “perfect.” We need things to be done, be done well, and for us to have the freedom to focus on each other and building into our future marriage instead of laboring over tiny details.

It also helps that Buck is so involved. He’s the one managing the budget, communicating with vendors, writing emails that I don’t want to write, etc. Such a help!!!

 

Now that you’re planning your own wedding, what things in general did you not realize before, or that you better understand about your clients?

SUCH a great question. I think the thing that has surprised me the most is my attitude of, “I’m looking for information, not friendship” when communicating with most of my vendors. Wedding dress shopping, for example. I went in to the shop on a mission— find a dress, and try on as many as is necessary to find one. I was in “hunting” mode, because I knew I had this one day to find one, and it just needed to happen. The saleslady at the boutique, however, wanted me to have the Wedding Dress Shopping Experience— every dress I tried on, she wanted me to walk out and stand in front of the mirror, hold a bouquet, put on a veil, let Mom take a picture. I had 30 dresses in the fitting room, and with most of them, as soon as I got it halfway on I knew for a fact I wasn’t going to buy it, so didn’t want to waste the time walking out and standing in front of the mirror. It was until about halfway through that I realized that wedding-related things are an experience, not a to-do-list item.

This was interesting for me to learn, because I have no patience or desire for an “experience.” I know what I want, I have my checklist, and I want to see who or what can best accomplish that. As a wedding photographer, I’ve often tried to create an “experience” for my clients, thinking that my relational personality is a selling point. Well, it might be, but I think that most DC brides are more like me— we’re very busy women with very full lives and we’re trying to fit wedding planning into a world that’s already overflowing. It’s given me a lot more sympathy for my clients, and has challenged me to change the way I think about interacting with them (ie, going from in-person meetings to phone consultations for the initial contact).

Now that you’re planning your own wedding, what pictures (besides portraits of you & Buck) do you most care about?

Yes, of course I want all of the pretty details well-documented, but honestly? I want pictures of people. Pictures with my family. Pictures with friends. Sure, the flowers are pretty, and the food will photograph well, and our ballroom reception has full windows that will make for gorgeous detail shots… but it’s the people that matter most to me. Pictures of me and Buck together— that takes priority. And then all of the other people close to us. That’s also important.

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Thanks so much for the great questions! Keep them coming! (and I have to include a picture of us… isn’t he just the most handsome man in the world?? this was taken just minutes before he proposed)

 

Feel free to visit our website to see/hear more! www.buckandsarah.com